Guitar attachment



March 9, 1937. Q T SCHRICKEL 2,073,226

GUITAR ATTACHMENT Filed sept. 5, 1935 VII? me/whole Fly Patented Mar. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE u 6 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in guitar attachments, the peculiarities of which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

This attachment relates to that class of guitar attachments by which the tension of some of the strings is instantly raised or lowered to change chords obtained from said strings.

In my prior patent on guitar attachment, Number 1,926,561, dated September 12, 1933, I showed an attachment which was mainly located inside the guitar and adapted instantly to change the tension of certain strings by finger manipulation of respective buttons.

The present improvements locate an attachment on the upper face of the guitar adapting it to be readily applied to practically all sizes of this musical instrument, and allow its operation by the fore-arm and edge of the hand of the player (instead of the fingers), and thus facilitate ngering of the strings.

The main objects of the present application are to provide means first, for changing the tension of certain strings instantly, whereby practically all chords can be played on the guitar; and second, for mounting string-engaging transverse and lengthwise levers on the upper face of the guitar, adapted for application and operation as above stated.

In the accompanying drawing in which like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts,

Fig. 1 represents a plan view of the body of a guitar with my improvements applied thereto;

Fig. 2, an enlarged side elevation of the transverse lever and section of the adjacent portion of the top of the guitar on the line 2 2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a similar View of the transverse lever and a section on the line 3 3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, an edge View of an adjustable tuning device for said levers and section on the line 4 4, Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5, a side View of the same on the line 5 5, Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I designates the upper face of a guitar having the usual six tension strings over the bridge 2. The 2nd and 3rd strings are extended past the bridge and fastened to the head, as in my prior patent mentioned.

In this application the 2nd and 3rd strings have a superposed transverse lever 3 with a downward projection 4 to engage and depress said 3rd string to increase the tension and thereby raise the pitch as much as a full tone, when desired. One end of said lever is loosely pivoted in a bracket 5 secured to the face of the guitar, and the other end has a contact plate 'l positioned convenient to the right fore-.arm of the operator for depressing the lever. The under side of said plate preferably has a boss in which is mounted the upper end of a screw having a rubber tipped head 6 (Fig. 2) to engage the face of the guitar and form an adjustable stop for said lever 3.

Adjacent this transverse lever is mounted an adjustable tuning device consisting of a slotted post 8 in which is mounted or otherwise secured thereto, a horizontal projecting screw with its head pressing a rubber washer 9, against the post and held at the desired height by a nut engaging the post (Fig. 4), or otherwise. This forms an adjustable catch for holding down the 3rd string when the lever 3 is depressed and moved laterally by contact of the fore-arm of the operator to tension said string, and to tune it to the desired pitch.

Thus this lever 3 controlling the 3rd string, may be made to vary the tension of said string and raise its pitch a full tone for example, in producing major chords.

Another pivoted bar l0 for engaging the 2nd string is mounted in a bracket Il secured to the upper face of the guitar, and extending lengthwise of the guitar as shown in Fig. 1. Near the pivot end of said bar is a horizontal integral lateral projection l2 extending over the 2nd string to form a string-engaging edge when the bar Il! is depressed. The opposite end of said bar lil is provided with a contact plate M, preferably pivoted to the bar so as to move laterally under contact engagement of the hand of the operator, and thus engage the rubber washer 9 of a catch preferably similar to the one provided for the transverse lever 3. This pivoted contact plate M swings between said catch and a lip forming a stop I3 on the opposite side of the lever or is otherwise limited in its lateral movement. This lengthwise bar Ill traverses the other bar 3, preferably passing above the latter as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 so as to position the contact plate adjacent the right hand of the operator, while the plate 1 of the transverse lever 3 is on the opposite side of the strings so as to be adjacent his fore-arm for ready engagement and depression thereby. The amount of depression of said lever ID and consequent tension of the string 2, is varied by its adjustable catch so as to produce an increase of tension and consequent rise of pitch of one-half tone when the lever l0 is depressed, and a consequent lowering of one-half tone when the lever is released from its catch. Thus this lever is productive of minor chords in combination with the major chords that may be produced by operating the transverse lever 3.

By the stated location of the two contact plates of the levers 3 and I0 respectively on opposite sides of the strings so that they may be readily operated by the fore-arm and hand of the player, his fingers are relieved from the duty of manipulating these bars, and his fingers remain more nearly in the position required for ngering the strings. Greater speed is thus obtained and dicult passages more readily executed. The said bars are depressed against the resistance of the extended strings, and the reaction of said strings raises them to their upper position when the bars are released from their respective catches.

I do not limit myself to the exact construction herein shown except by the appended claims.

' I claim:

1. A guitar attachment comprising a lever pivoted at one end to the upper face of a guitar and having a contact plate at the opposite end and having a string-engaging edge consisting of a horizontal lateral extension over the adjacent string, forming a string-engaging edge to depress the string, and an adjustable catch for said lever to hold the lever down and regulate the amount of tension and consequent pitch of the engaged string.

2. A guitar attachment having in combination, extended 2nd and 3rd strings, pivoted levers mounted on the upper face of the guitar and each having a string-engaging edge and a contact plate, said edges respectively engaging the 2nd and 3rd strings when depressed, one lever traversing the other to bring said contact plates into positions on opposite sides of the strings so as to be engaged by the right hand and forearm respectively of the operator, and an adjustable catch adjacent to each lever to hold it depressed and to regulate the tension and consequent pitch of the engaged string, substantially as described.

3. A guitar attachment having in combination, a lever pivoted to the guitar face and having a string-engaging lower edge positioned over and depressed to engage a selected string, a tuning device characterized by a vertically slotted post mounted on the face of the guitar having a horizontal screw adjustably mounted therein provided with a rubber washer held between its head and said post and having its side edge engaging the depressed lever substantially as described.

4. A guitar attachment comprising a lever pivoted at one end to the upper face of a guitar and having a string-engaging edge consisting of an integral horizontal extension above the string to depress the string and having a laterally movable contact plate pivoted adjacent a lip at the opposite end, and an adjustable catch for said lever adjacent said plate to hold the lever down, substantially as described.

5. A guitar attachment comprising a pair of levers pivoted at the upper face of the guitar having string-engaging edges for extended 2nd and 3rd strings respectively and contact plates on said levers, one lever being lengthwise and the other transverse to the strings and traversing each other to bring said contact plates into positions for engagement by the fore-arm and hand respectively of the operator, and an adjustable catch for each lever, substantially as described.

6. A guitar attachment having in combination with the extended 2nd and 3rd strings, levers pivoted to the guitar face transversely and lengthwise respectively of the guitar and having stringengaging edges respectively engaging said strings when depressed and having contact plates positioned on opposite sides of the strings respectively for engagement by the hand and fore-arm of the operator, and catches for said levers to hold them in depressed position, all mounted on the upper face of the guitar substantially as described.

CARL TEMPLE SCHRICKEL. 

